Ella Keenan (2nd Year)
What does a typical day studying History and Politics at Keble look like?
History and politics are both subjects in which you need a lot of self discipline, as you can have as little as one contact hour a week per term, meaning that a lot of the daily work is that of your own initiative. A typical week will be going to the library to start or continue with the reading for the essay due that week, which involves going through the reading list given to you and choosing the texts you believe will be the most useful for the essay, as well as what you feel to be the most interesting. In my most recent term, I had to complete two essays per week, and therefore also had two tutorials a week, which are around an hour of discussion of your essay and the wider topic as a whole. I find tutorials really useful, and they are what distinguishes teaching at Oxbridge from other universities. They are useful not only to consolidate your understanding of a topic, but also to improve your confidence in articulating your academic opinions, often with a world leading academic. However, this doesn’t mean days are structured solely around work, and there are many opportunities at Keble to get involved beyond academics, with many getting involved or taking up roles in University societies, the JCR (basically the college’s student council) and sports, for example. I end each day hanging out with my friends and there is definitely no need to work constantly. For most of your degree, you will work on 1-2 papers per term. In your third year, you either undertake a dissertation in history or politics, and exams are completed in the final term of third year. Don’t panic though, your tutors are always there to help if you need any support!
Why do you like studying History and Politics at Keble?
One of my favourite things about studying History and Politics at Keble is the community aspect it involves. The tutors are all very understanding and committed to helping you do your best, and are always there if you need support. Furthermore, other students doing your course very often are supportive and generous with advice and helping each other to do your best. This creates an atmosphere in which it is easier than I expected to feel confidence in sharing my opinions and ideas within this supportive academic and pastoral environment.
Personal statement advice
Even though the two subjects are taught as separate disciplines, I would recommend considering ways in which History and Politics intersect as subjects within your personal statement to increase the relevancy of some of your ideas to both parts of your degree. This will help to make it as cohesive and comprehensive as possible and demonstrate your ability to understand the usefulness of both disciplines to each other. Beyond that, ensure that your interest in the subject shines through in what you are writing, and this is best done through ensuring that you are truly excited by the contents you include.
Admissions Test Advice
HisPol applicants are all tasked with completing the History Aptitude Test (HAT). I would say the best advice would be to look through historical sources to best attain the skills the exam tests you on. Past papers can be found on the History Faculty website, but I would also recommend flicking through history books and applying source comprehensive skills to other sources of history! Ensure you remain focused upon what the question is asking you when completing the paper, and don’t be afraid to provide a creative response to the stimulus provided.
Interview Advice
I would say my main advice is to ensure that you are confident to discuss all the contents of your personal statement, as well as the written work you have sent in. You are very likely to be asked about these aspects of your application so it is definitely worth being prepared here. In terms of the actual interview itself, take a deep breath before and don’t worry if you need a second to collect your thoughts before answering questions. Do your best to think methodically and use the reading and learning from your previous work to back up answers if this is possible. Ensure that you talk through your thought process so that the tutor can understand how you tackle questions. Overall, even though interviews may appear intimidating, they are generally very informal and operate largely like a tutorial at Oxford, so don’t worry, and just try to do your best - many people even end up enjoying their interviews!
Make sure to also head to our YouTube channel for more advice on the interview stage of the admissions process:
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